This Wild Electric Car Shrinks To Squeeze Into Tight Parking
There are compact cars, subcompact cars, and then there's the CT-1 EV, which is so tiny that even calling it a "car" is a misnomer. It might be better called a four-wheeled, fully encapsulated motorcycle because, with a height of just over five feet and a maximum width of 4.5 feet, this thing redefines small (via City Transformer).
But that's precisely what City Transformer (CT), an Israeli startup company, was aiming for. Basically, if you think the price of gas and big city congestion are both terrible here in the United States, you've obviously never been to Europe. In fact, company chief Udi Meridor refers to the CT-1 as a "next-generation mobility solution," not a car (via Goodwood Road & Racing).
If you're a keen observer, you may have noticed we said "maximum width." That's because the CT-1 has a foldable chassis that allows it to change its footprint dynamically by shrinking to a minimum width of just 3.3 feet (via City Transformer). But before we get into the details of how CT shrinks down its EV, let's point out some of this transforming vehicle's other unique features.
The car is light, weighing only 1,300 pounds. While most of that comes from its diminutive size, the battery pack powering the two 7.5 kW electric motors is reportedly 75% lighter than batteries found in other leading EVs (via City Transformer).
The CT-1 will be found in all sorts of odd parking spaces
Active Width Adjustment technology is used to pull off all the shaping changes. "Performance Mode" allows the wider 4.5-foot stance to give the CT-1 more stability on the open road. Not that you'll need it because top speed is only 55 mph (Sammy Hagar would not be happy). The battery provides a range somewhere between 75 miles and 112 miles (via City Transformer).
When you're looking for a parking space in the city, you can use "City Mode," which slims the car down to a svelte 3.3 feet. Its microscopic size allows four CT-1s to fit inside one regular spot and frees up nearby parking by as much as 75%. Speed is capped at 28 mph while in the city. If you're curious, it can "zip" from a standstill to 31 mph in 5 seconds (via City Transformer). Best not to drag-race anyone — including bicyclists — in this thing.
Additionally, the car contains a mere 1,500 parts. By comparison, an internal combustion engine (ICE) has 25,000, while a normal EV has 8,000 (via ElectricCarsReport.com).
CT took home the gold prize for the CT-1 at the 2022 German Innovation Awards. Pre-orders are being taken now, but production won't begin until the end of 2024 (via Autoweek). With an MSRP of only $14,000, it would be a steal. Unfortunately, the CT-1 would never meet stringent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations here in the United States, so we won't be able to play "Find where the CT-1 is parked" any time soon. Too bad, because that would be fun.